Changing of the Guard

First, I want to wish everyone a happy new year, and I hope that 2018 brings happiness and health to all our members and their families. As I mentioned in past articles, 2017 proved to be a difficult year with tragedies befalling many of our members. I ask all of you to remember those who were injured in the Las Vegas shooting rampage and those who lost their lives through other tragic events.

Changing of the Guard

As we move forward into 2018, PPOA will be undergoing significant changes. Foremost is a changing of the guard. Our executive director, Paul Roller, will be retiring after 18 years of service to PPOA. I have been blessed to have had the opportunity to work alongside Paul during my nine years as PPOA president, as well as my few years as a PPOA Board member. I learned a lot about unions from Paul, and his experience proved to be invaluable in guiding me in the right direction. I relied heavily on Paul to navigate the tricky waters of union business, politics and contract negotiations. Every member of PPOA, active and retired, owes a great deal of gratitude to Paul for his leadership and guidance in making PPOA one of the strongest and most respected unions in California. In Paul’s final article in this issue of Star & Shield, you will hear him speak about integrity, service and honesty. He drilled that into the staff and, more importantly, he led by example. Those tenets serve as the backbone of PPOA and are at the core of our mission. I am grateful for all that he has done for the organization and our membership. I wish him a long and joyous retirement with his wonderful wife, Lillian. I know that even though he is retiring, he will always be available to us for advice and guidance — PPOA is in his blood. Happy retirement, partner!

Our incoming executive director, Wayne Quint Jr., has quite an extensive background in the law enforcement labor movement. You will read more about his background in his first article in next month’s issue of Star & Shield. I have known Wayne for nearly 10 years, from his years of leadership as president of the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs to his role as executive director of the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Foundation. I look forward to working with him to continue PPOA’s longstanding tradition of integrity, service and honesty.

More Changes at PPOA

In early 2018, PPOA will be introducing a stateof-the-art mobile app. After conducting thorough research on existing law enforcement association apps, we decided to create one from scratch with more “bells and whistles.” The most critical part of this mobile app is the ability for our members to contact PPOA for help in times of need. Whether they’re involved in a shooting or a use-of-force incident, subjected to interviews by supervisors or internal investigators, or in need of legal defense, our members will be able to reach a PPOA representative with a click of a button! The app will have many other capabilities as well. You will have access to our discount uniform store and discounted products and services from PPOA-approved vendors — just as if you were shopping on Amazon (OK, we aren’t going to be that big!). You will also have access to your MOUs, salary schedules and much more with a touch of a button. Lastly, you will receive emergency alert notifications, such as deputy-involved shootings or major disasters, so you can stay up to date. I am very excited about this new mobile app! Look for a rollout of the app in the near future! Be sure to download it and try it out!

This year, you will see more Board members (and me) visiting your units of assignment. While some members call or email us when they have issues, many do not reach out to us even though there are significant problems in their units of assignments. We want to hear from you, and we believe we can get a better grasp of the issues by coming to your workplace and talking to more members. Of course, you can still call or email us, and we will try to resolve your issues. Although you may not know this, we have resolved many issues by dealing directly with the Sheriff or assistant sheriffs and have seen improvements (clearly not enough, though!). But we cannot fight what we do not know. Please reach out to your PPOA Board representative or me and keep us informed.

This year is the 40th anniversary of the POPA Federal Credit Union (POPA FCU). As many of you know, PPOA established the credit union to provide financial benefits to our members (note: PPOA, the union, changed its name many years ago to coincide with other police association acronyms, but the credit union kept its original name). POPA FCU will host special celebrations at their branches throughout the year, and you will see our PPOA BBQ trailer at each location grilling for POPA FCU members. Hope to see you there!

Contract Negotiations

Bargaining Unit 612 (sergeants and lieutenants) started negotiations with the County late last year. The negotiations are continuing as our current contract is coming to an end. There are many rumors about what is and is not being negotiated and various alleged offers on the table — every one of these rumors is false! Please do not spread wild rumors about these contract negotiations, as they may negatively impact the efforts of your negotiating team. Be patient, and rest assured that your negotiating team will get the best contract possible. The other PPOA bargaining units will begin their negotiations later this year, and it is very important that PPOA members communicate with their negotiating team about the issues on the table. You can reach out to your PPOA Board representative and discuss negotiation issues with them. I am hopeful that we can get another good contract and address many other issues besides salary. Lastly, I sift through hundreds of emails every day and talk to hundreds of members throughout the year. I care about each and every member, but sometimes things just fall off my radar. If I haven’t gotten back to you on an issue, please reconnect with me so we can continue discussions on how to resolve your concerns. I apologize if I dropped the ball or simply haven’t contacted you for follow up. You can reach me at bmoriguchi@ppoa.com.